Elevated way



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N. NEWMAN.

ELEVATED WAY.

1% 256,034. Pagented Apr. 4,1882.

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7 6. g w p wb 15M. iwj m (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N. NEWMAN.

ELEVATED WAY. 7 No. 256,034. Patented Apr. 4,1882.

N. PETERS. Phmuuw n mr W'mhlnglan o z;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NELSON NEWMAN, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

ELEVATE D WAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,034, dated. April4, 188 2.

Application filed January 3,1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELSON NEWMAN, of Springfield, in the county ofSangamon, and in the State ot'Illinois, haveinvented certain new anduseful Improvements in Elevated Ways; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improvedapparatus as arranged for use, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of themechanism used for supporting and varying the relative verticalpositions of the ends of the cable.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

The design of my invention is to furnish a simple and efficient meanswhereby passengers or freight may be transported across streams orbetween elevated points; and to this end it consists principally inacable stretched between suitable supports and adapted to receive andsustain a suspended car and to have the relative vertical positions ofits ends simultaneously changed by automatically co-operating mechanism,so as to cause said car, by the action of gravity, to automatically passfrom one end to the opposite end of saidcable, substantially as and forthe purpose hereinafter specified.

It consists, further, in a cable stretched between suitable supports, incombination with means whereby its ends may be simultaneously moved invertically-opposite directions, so as to give to said cable aninclination in either direction, substantially as and for the purposehereinafter shown.

It consists, further, in combining, with a cable stretched between andsustained by suitable supports, means whereby its ends may from one ofsaid supports be simultaneously moved vertically in opposite directions,substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

It consists, finally, in the construction and combination of parts ofthe mechanism employed for changing the vertical positions of the endsof the cable, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown anddescribed.

In the annexed drawings, A and B represent two posts or otherlikesupports, which are arranged vertically at opposite sides of astream or space to be crossed, and are firmly secured in place andadapted to receive and sustain the necessary lateral strain.

Secured to and extending outward from each postA and B is a metal frame,0, which has the form of three sides of a square, its ends being firmlyattached to said post and its vertical side adapted to receive a groovedroller, d, that is pivoted within a strap, D, which encircles said frameside and at its outer end furnishes a connection for and receives oneend of a cable, E, said cable being extended between said straps andstretched taut with each of said rollers d,bearing upon the inner edgeof its frame G.

Suspended from the cableEis a car,F, which has any desired form or sizeto adapt it to receive freight or passengers, and is provided with twoor more grooved rollers, j, that rest upon the upper side of saidcableand furnish rolling bearings for said car.

The car F is intended to move lengthwise of the cable E, and suchmovement is made automatic by giving to the latter a downwardinclination in the direction in which said car is to be moved, wherebythe force of gravity opcrates to carry the latter forward,its speedbeing governed by the degree of inclination.

In order that the cable E may be readily given an inclination in eitherdirection, the following-described means are employed for changing therelative vertical positions of its ends.

Secured to the inner end of each strap D is a cord, G, which from thencepasses upward to the top of the post A or B, and from thence around asuitable guide-roller, H, and across to the opposite post, its oppositeend-being secured in the manner described to the opposite strap, 1),said cord thus arranged operating to sustain each strap with its end ofthe cable E at a point between the upper and lower ends of the frame 0.If, now, one of the rolling end supports, D d, of the cable E is raised,the opposite support will, by the operation of gravity, move downward,and thereby change the inclination of said cable and cause the car F tomove toward the lowest end.

In order that the movements described may be easily effected and fromone end of the cable, I journal within a suitable support between theends of one of the frames 0 a shaft, I, that is adapted to receive andwind opposite ends of a cord, K,one end thereofbeiug wound upon saidshaft at the same time that the opposite end of said cord is unwoundtherefrom.

From the shaft I the cord K passes upward and downward around pulleys 0,and thence to and is connected with the inner end of the strap D, sothat if said shaft is rotated one end of said cord being wound thereonwill draw said strap and the connecting end of the cable E, while theopposite end of said cord will be unwound, and will offer no resistanceto such movement of said strap.

If desired, a weight, L, may be suspended from the opposite strap, D,for the purpose of causing the latter to move downward when permitted;but it is believed that no necessity will exist for such arrangement, asthe weight of said cable and of the car F will have a constant tendencyto effect the desired result.

With the apparatus described one person can with ease cause the car F toautomatically pass from side to side with any desiredspeed,andthusrenderpracticablethetransportation of freight or passengersacross streams of valleys, which would otherwise be impassab e.

For the transportation of goods across streets or between differentbuildings of a manufactory, this apparatus also affords a cheap,easilyoperated, and efficient means.

- Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention,what I claim as new 1s- 1. A cable stretched between suitable supports,in combination with a suspended car and automatically co-operatingmechanism to simultaneously change the relative vertical positions ofits ends, so as to cause said car, by the action of gravity, toautomatically pass from one end to theopposite end of said cable,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A cable stretched between suitable supports, in combination withmeans, substantially such as described, whereby its ends may besimultaneously moved in verticallyopposite directions, so as to give tosaid cable an inclination in either direction, substantially as and forthe purpose shown.

3. The combination, with a cable, of supports between and upon which thesame is stretched and sustained, and suitable means whereby its endsmay, from one of said supports, be simultaneously moved vertically inopposite directions, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with the cable E, the frames 0, the rolling supports01 D, the cord G, the guide-rollers H, and means whereby said rollingsupports may be raised or lowered, substantially as and for the purposeshown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this24th day of December, 1881.

NELSON NEWMAN.

YVitnesses:

HARRY A. SNOW, L. H. BRADLEY.

